When the two teams met in Las Vegas in February of 1990, a brawl erupted after UNLV's Chris Jeter head-butted one Utah State player and punched another. Missing two starters, UNLV stayed close with Boise State but still lost its third consecutive game Sunday in Boise, Idaho. Instead of using the traditional players' entrance to the arena, Tarkanian had the UNLV bus pull up to Barnhill's main gate on game day. There was no way we were going to beat them. After a freshman season at Georgia Spencer transferred to Connors State Junior College. When asked over email to name the most significant change from the 1990 team, Hurley simply replied: "Grant Hill. How could he not take up for what he had built? Sara Doty. McCaffrey, Bobby Hurley, Antonio By the time he graduated in 1995, he had . But the take away: UNLV won, 112-105. Duke's gameplan against UNLV mirrored every David's game plan for Goliath: manage the game, be efficient on offense, no fast breaks, no turnovers, be aggressive and sprinkle in a hard foul every once in awhile. On March 2, 1991, before a crowd of 24,310 at Rupp Arena, Kentucky defeats Auburn, 114-93, to claim the best record in the Southeastern Conference and end its two-year probation. We could have played them 20 times and not beaten them in any.. And the change . One of the few figures associated with that UNLV team who's willing to revisit the subject of 1991 in 2021 is Jerry Koloskie, who then served as athletic trainer for the Rebels before later becoming the school's senior associate athletic director. Laettner would make two free throws the 12.7 seconds remaining via a controversial over-the-back call against Evric Gray and UNLVs dynasty would end when Anderson Hunts off-balance 3-point attempt over Hurley wasnt close. Hide/Show Additional Information For Royce Hamm Jr. Hide/Show Additional Information For Reece Brown, Hide/Show Additional Information For Josh Baker, Hide/Show Additional Information For Trey Hurlburt, Hide/Show Additional Information For James Hampshire, Hide/Show Additional Information For Marvin Coleman, Hide/Show Additional Information For Cameron Burist, Video Platform powered by CBS Sports Digital. The Hoyas pulled to within four before falling 62-54. UNLV beat in-state rival Nevada by 50. The Blue Demons would join the, This page was last edited on 30 January 2023, at 22:15. Justin Webster called the Rebels 91-66 loss Wednesday to Utah State the worst game hes ever played in during his basketball career. Director of Basketball Operations. ", The game was referred to in basketball circles afterward as "40 minutes of layups.". Title. This collection contains programs for UNLV men's basketball games and annual guides for men's and women's basketball. For the game, Fullerton nearly doubled its average attendance. George Ackles: The most forgotten of all the members of the 1991 UNLV team, Ackles played the 1989 season for UNLV after transferring from junior college. Previous Season Next Season. UAB did the best it could. You call a last second shot that hits the backboard and grazes the rim better? An average person they would call all of this better, but any college basketball coach or any real fan who knows the game would call that luck. As the ball left Anderson Hunts hands, we naturally assumed it would find its mark, desperate and deep as the 3-pointer might have been in the waning seconds of the national semifinal game. Saxon, Christin Stacey Augmon had 31 points, Anderson Hunt. "Even at halftime, you're thinking we're going to go out and do what we usually do, and it just never happened.". On March 2, 1991, the UNLV Runnin Rebelscoached by perennial NCAA-tormentor Jerry Tarkanian and led by future NBA first rounders Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, and Greg Anthonyfinished off a perfect regular season. Todd Day, Oliver Miller, and Lee Mayberry anchored the Arkansas squad. Former Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton had by this time become a vocal fan of the No. Any future tournament games played in Charlotte would be played at Spectrum Center (although the Coliseum did host the Final Four in 1994). Koloskie wholeheartedly believes the game's outcome turned on Anthony fouling out. Always winning. It was also the first time a team reached 100 points in the championship game. Anderson Hunt: He was one of the most dangerous players on the team. Both were ejected. Most werent that great. That and the fact that perfect regular seasons are exceedingly rare in college basketball. So the back-on title defense began. And as I look around the college basketball landscape, I see failure and defeats everywhere. ", Yet the risk of a mental hangover persisted. Baker, Trey With NCAA sanctions banning UNLV from postseason play, Tarkanian announced in June 1991 that he would resign after the upcoming season. While they knew they werent thugs or convicts they played with swagger and gave menacing stares after destroying the rim. 6th Man. Sidney Green enjoyed a four-year career at the university from 1979-1983 and Dedan Thomas Sr., who ranks sixth all-time in assists for the Rebels, represented the university roughly a decade later . Kansas defeated Williams' mentor Dean Smith and North Carolina (where Williams later coached) in the semifinal. Bobby Joyce: Great junior college player. 2023 The Draft Review. Duke was 30-7 and had won the Midwest region as the No. Bob Knight wasn't going to go that far, but he did predict that the Rebels would beat the team coached by his own onetime player at Army and assistant at Indiana, Krzyzewski. Former Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton had by this time become a vocal fan of the No. Veterans from that IU roster fielded a high volume of calls from the media that week. Because they were vicious and explosive, while destroying everyone by an average of 26.7 points. He gave Duke sophomore Christian Laettner (5-of-12 shooting) fits in the final. Best NCAA Tournament Player: Was it Carmelo Anthony or Christian Laettner? The Rebels got some extra time to prepare for Air Forces unique offense, but are likely to be without two starters again as they try to snap a three-game losing skid. It was, as Im now old enough to say, different times. (Editor's note: ESPN reached out to multiple starters from that team as well as to one member of the coaching staff. You call winning a game by 2-points better? The 1990 NCAA tournament concluded with UNLV winning the national championship thanks to a 30-point rout of Duke in the final, 103-73.The margin set the record for largest in championship game . Wooden teams were dominant with NBA greats Bill Walton and Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). UNLV had its way with UAB. Tarkanian died in February 2015 at the age of 84. It snapped UNLVs 45-game win streak dating to the previous season, including its championship game whipping of these Blue Devils. Let it burn into your cranium. If youre in a war you want him in the foxhole with you. Now you know what Duke experienced for 40 minutes. We didnt know it would also mark the beginning of the end of the programs reign as a national power. They played championship-caliber ball. The Runnin' Rebels were the defending national champions on a 45-game winning streak. Stacey Augmon, who had set off an impromptu autograph mob scene on the campus of UBC the night before, opened the game with a thunderous dunk. The Rebels earned their second consecutive West region No. Almost everything to say about this team has been said. We got these dudes because they are taking us lightly. On March 2, 1991, the UNLV Runnin' Rebelscoached by perennial NCAA-tormentor Jerry Tarkanian and led by future NBA first rounders Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, and Greg Anthonyfinished off a perfect regular season. "As great a team as that UNLV team was, we were a pretty darn good team too," Grant Hill says. Heres an important piece of the UNLV puzzle. 1991 UNLV Roll Call: The Starters. We can also describe in great detail the championship game the previous year, a 103-73 victory over Duke. Either Tarkanian could serve a personal suspension from coaching during the 1991 tournament and watch his team from afar before facing a postseason ban for both himself and the Rebels in 1992, or UNLV could play in the 1991 postseason in exchange for a ban on all live TV appearances and on any postseason play for the 1991-92 season. Basketball; Football; Baseball; . Running their offense above the three-point line created spacing for Hill, who befuddled Johnson with his quickness. Duke, coached by Mike Krzyzewski, won a rematch of the previous year's national final matchup against undefeated UNLV 7977 in the semifinal,[1] then won the national title with a 7265 victory in the final game over Kansas, coached by Roy Williams. It would easy for people to say Im not seeing the big picture when talking about this team. After the game, Miller said simply of UNLV, "They need to go to the NBA. Davis, Thomas A defensive ball hawk and who ran the UNLV offense as smooth as a Cadillac. But the 1990 team is for another article at another time. With their black sneakers, anti-establishment attitude and gold fronts, Jerry Tarkanians Rebels embodied youth and hip hop culture2Pac rocked the schools gear in the"Brendas Got a Baby" videobefore the Fab Five even existed. This tournament featured three play-in games before the tournament field was announced, featuring the champions of the six conferences with the lowest computer ratings the previous season. Yes, the Rebels intensity occasionally boiled over, but mostly Tarks guys stuck to trash talking and winning. No title defense. No team has won 40 games or more in a row in the 30 years since. Thats right I said it. Larry Johnson scored 26. Tarkanian grew tired of the NCAAs accusations and their blatant blind eyes to obvious rule breaking by UCLAs boaster Sam Gilbert. UNLV point guard Greg Anthony: The only thing that surprised me was that we didnt play as hard as we normally do. A brutal sucker punch in the OVC tournament stopped the game in its tracks. How about Canada? Armed with length, leaping ability and creativity, Augmon usually converted difficult shots with ease. Re-read that line a couple times. View Full Bio, Victor Tar Heel Times UNC Sports & Recruiting News. Royce This is a discussion on PS3 NCAA Basketball 10/March Madness Legacy: 2020-21 and Classic Team Rosters within the EA Sports NCAA Basketball Rosters forums. Though his team had gone 0-3 against the Rebels that season, Long Beach State head coach Seth Greenberg said Tarkanian's "biggest vulnerability is if Greg [Anthony] gets in foul trouble." Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. Augmon used good ole fashioned foot speed and length to disrupt positions 1-through-3. Complete roster for the 1991-1992 UNC Basketball team. He went on to express his view that the Rebels, in effect, played by a different set of rules and that the UNLV program should be investigated from top to bottom, up to and including the players' grades, class attendance, cars and summer jobs. The core five of Butler (15.8), Anthony (11.2), Augmon (14.2), Hunt (15.9), and Johnson (20.6) each . There was expected to be great turnover on the UNLV basketball roster after a disappointing 12-15 season. More School Info. The 1991 Runnin Rebels are the greatest college basketball team of all time. In it, Dukes head coach confesses that the 1990 team were exceptional and destroyed his team. The UNLV men's basketball team, called The Runnin' Rebels, and the women's basketball team, called the Lady Rebels, are NCAA Division I teams and part of the Mountain West Conference. The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1991 tournament: Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight), National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship). The team had only trailed for 38 minutes during the entire campaign. UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian: This win is for the kids, but mostly its for the state of Nevada. Instead, the Rebels played without their point guard and managed just three points over their final four possessions. Beating UNLV team legitimizes us as a serious program.. Depending on how you wanted to defend UNLV, Hunt could have 15 or 30 points. You call holding two All-Americans in Larry Johnson and Stacey Augmon to a combined 16 points better? At the time, we knew the defeat ended UNLVs undefeated season after 34 wins. If this two-time all American honors and 1991 Wooden Award winner isnt in your list of top 20 college players of all time, chances are you need to get some old film and watch pure dominance at work. UNLV shredded Duke with an 18-0 second-half run to leave no doubt as to which was the countrys finest team. Why? But what most didnt realize was that, as superb a returning starting five as UNLV had that evening in 91, Duke put on the floor three players (Christian Laettner, Grant Hill and Bobby Hurley) who would also be considered among the best in college history. "I've found out that it's smart never to argue with him," he said, "and I suppose if I were [Knight] I would pick UNLV to win, too.". Thomas Hill can recall the exact moment when he knew Duke would achieve one of the biggest upsets in NCAA tournament history: it was during the pre-game lineup introductions. March 2, 2018 2:48 pm MT. Although the times would be adjusted, the same basic format was in place until 2010. Have you ever felt as if youre in a washing machine on a super speed setting? Big West Reg Season Champ. Buckley, Brandon Huh? All rights reserved. 1991-92 UNLV Rebels Men's Roster and Stats. Find out more. He was one of the strongest players in the post with a 36 + vertical, a post-up game, face-up game, ball handling and 3-point range. "Beating that UNLV team was a pivotal moment in Duke basketball history," Grant Hill says. The Blue Devils opened the game against UNLV by making their first five shots and taking a 15-8 lead. EJ Harkless, Jordan McCabe, Elijah Parquet and Cameron Burist will be honored during senior night when UNLV plays Utah State on Wednesday at the Thomas & Mack Center. A fourth player, George Ackles, went . Why many fans could not forget David Butler, coaches proclaimed that Ackles, not Butler, was the better fit despite not being much of a scorer. If youre a basketball nut like me, you saw HBOs UNLV documentary. Burist, Kevin Yeah, we're about to go back-to-back and go undefeated,'" Hill, Duke's starting two guard, says today. There is no additional information to display. Like us on Facebook. And Tarkanian had to promise to pursue no further legal action against the NCAA. If there was a weakness to Ackles, other than his lack of offensive ability, it was his foul trouble. "UNLV were so cool and nonchalant like, Yeah, it's going to be a cakewalk. Duke assurance grew with every break they caught in the second half: Ackles picked up his fourth foul minutes after halftime, an ankle injury hobbled his backup, Elmore Spencer. And in game situations, he had no qualms telling you how he felt. Have you ever been caught in a rip current, breaking swells pounding around you as youre jerked away from the shore? ESPN and CBS analyst Jay Bilas was a Duke assistant coach for both the 1990 national title game, UNLV's 103-73 rout, and the following year's 79-77 Final Four upset that stopped the Rebels two . Hunt totaled 29 points for the game and was named Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four. Instead, the Rebels overcame a one-point deficit midway through the second half and won going away, 95-75. "In the locker room, my guys were talking about how they were gonna kill these [bleeps]. UNLV had now won 45 games in a row, and Tarkanian's men -- who had won their games by an average of 27 points -- were being compared to the undefeated Indiana Hoosiers of 1976. Dave Rice: (UNLVs new head coach): Fundamentally sound player who received minor minutes. For those who think the argument ends with the fact they didnt win. These sites are not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with with these teams or institutions. Missouri Valley Tournament 2023: Bracket, schedule, scores, teams, and more. With Anthony on the bench, UNLV managed just three points the rest of the way. Johnson brought the ball up for UNLV on their final possession, and, for a moment, it appeared he would attempt a potential game-winning three-pointer. UNLV Rebels Men's. Roster and Stats. Who will win each 2023 conference tournament? But that wide-ranging influence was rooted first in UNLV's dominance on the basketball court. Duke, meanwhile, won the first of five National Championships (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015) two nights later. Simply put, most opponents were already beat before the game even started. UNLV will finally commemorate its 2021-22 Mountain West regular-season and tournament championships ahead of Thursdays game against Utah State. A LITTLE MORE than three months after the title game, the NCAA ruled that UNLV was indeed ineligible for the 1991 postseason due to violations dating back to 1977. As for Johnson, it was widely assumed that he would enter the 1990 NBA draft and quite possibly be taken as the first overall pick. This was the first NCAA Tournament to feature all four of the, The Final Four was also the first to include both halves of the. Usual start times were noon and 7:30 or 8 p.m. Eastern time on each of the Thursdays and Fridays. Some teams were ranked. Ja Morants allegations of aggression off the court, explained. Larry Johnson: There may be no greater injustice in college basketball history than Larry Johnson. [{"timestamp":"1677988800000","date":"2023-03-04 20:00:00","type":"Concert","title":"KATY PERRY: PLAY @ Resorts World Las Vegas","description":"","url":"/events/2023/mar/04/55442/"},{"timestamp":"1677988800000","date":"2023-03-04 20:00:00","type":"Concert","title":"Chicago @ Venetian Resort Hotel Casino","description":"","url":"/events/2023/mar/04/55397/"},{"timestamp":"1677952800000","date":"2023-03-04 10:00:00","type":"Gallery","title":"Leonardo Da Vinci: The Exhibition @ Grand Canal Shoppes","description":"","url":"/events/ongoing/32943/"}], Winston Fisher, CEO of Las Vegas attraction mecca Area15, invites you to jump down the rabbit hole, Las Vegas Life Is Beautiful festival offers locals-only presale, Prepare to Eat Your Heart Out at Durango Casinos incoming food hall, Techno Taco Tuesday returns to full strength at Downtown Las Vegas La Mona Rosa, DJ HoneyLuv shows she can do it all and then some, Eddie McDonalds MAC Agency flourishes in Las Vegas, Keith Urban builds new energy for his Zappos Theater residency in Las Vegas, Downtown Las Vegas new Beverly Theater arrives as an art house cinema lovers dream, The Las Vegas-based Jabbawockeez hit the road on a global tour with Rauw Alejandro, Crust & Roux brings comfy flavors to Las Vegas Town Square, Neighbors Cafe celebrates five years serving Las Vegas, Las Vegas product Jalen Hill aims to take Oklahoma deep into the tournament, Local ties: Root for these Vegas prep products as you run in to the tourney, NCAA Tournament betting cheat sheet: Scouting report on this year's contenders, Las Vegas adds to its March Madness legend, with a regional on deck and a Final Four looming, Despite its Final Four loss. 1 in what would become the fourth-longest win streak in the history of Division I men's basketball was recorded at Utah State on March 1, 1990. But if you really want to talk perfection and dominance, it's gotta be the 1991 UNLV Runnin' Rebels. In this March 30, 1991, file photo, UNLV's Anderson Hunt (12) and unidentified teammates leave the floor after losing to Duke in an NCAA national semifinal game in Indianapolis. Record: 34-1 (18-0, 1st in Big West MBB ) Rank: 1st in the Final AP Poll. But the committee saw the matter differently and imposed the ban on postseason play for 1991, making UNLV . The protagonist/antagonist characters are so striking you would have to be blind not to see. McCabe, Keshon They were the number one team that entire season. Its a record that still stands 5th all time. Lang, Greg Before the 1990 season Ackles injured his wrist in a pickup game and redshirted. The final game on the regular season slate was Cal State Fullertona school with almost nothing to brag about in the basketball department (Leon Wood on the 84 Olympic squad?) And their opponent in the Final Four was the same team they had defeated 103-73 in the previous year's national championship. Yet the Rebels were untouchable, outscoring opponents by nearly 30 points on average. Hunt had a sweet shooting stroke, solid perimeter defense and above average athleticism to finish above the rim. My hat off to Coach Tark for getting us to play together and play that hard all the time. No need. Buckley, Christian They were ranked No. Thats like saying the 1983 North Carolina State Wolfpacks victory over Phi Slamma Jamma meant they were better. Don't miss the big stories. Ray Brewer, a proud local, has been part of Greenspun Media Group since the mid-1990s. Not an undefeated squad to be found. The 1990-91 UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team represented the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in NCAA Division I men's competition in the 1990-91 season.The Runnin' Rebels, coached by Jerry Tarkanian, entered the season as defending national champions and entered the 1991 NCAA tournament unbeaten, but lost in the national semifinal to eventual champions Duke when Anderson Hunt's . Sure, Duke was a dangerous team, but pre-season, everyone had them pegged as top 3 team. "I still look at those games like, Wow' when I see the level we were playing. Duke, coached by Mike Krzyzewski, won a rematch of the previous year's . To understand just how different it was, consider the following four numbers. But if you really want to talk perfection and dominance, its gotta be the 1991 UNLV Runnin Rebels. Christin Hinton. "We were tougher and more defensive-minded. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). Equally impressive was Augmons ability to finish in transition. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. Chris Jeter: Toughest player on the team. The Rebels met Duke in back-to-back Final Fours in 1990 and 91. Larry Iwuakor, Michael Fayetteville, Arkansas-area churches moved up their services to accommodate the 1 vs. 2 showdown. With 99 Duke they werent even ranked as the number one team in the country. I call this a fact that few can argue, yet there are few that will even take on that argument because of all the variables at play with the hated Runnin Rebels. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Richmond became the . Thus concluded UNLVs perfect regular season. After defeating Dennis Scott and Georgia Tech 90-81 at the Final Four in Denver, the Rebels would face Duke for the national championship. Then Michigan State by 20. Mountain West Basketball, UNLV Basketball, Mountain West Basketball, NCAAB, UNLV, Mountain West Basketball: Utah State vs. UNLV--Preview, Odds, Prediction, Mountain West Basketball: New Mexico vs. Boise State--Preview, Odds, Prediction, Mountain West Basketball: Chase for the Regular Season Championship, See college football stories in your feed. After all, in the big scheme of things they didnt win. I just feel so happy and fortunate that we got here and were able to win it., Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski: We were overmatched. Johnson earned the Naismith College Player of the Year award. Contact/Follow @SportsNewMexico & @MWCwire. The perfect season was over, and so was the pressure that accompanies maintaining perfection. What is hard for many to fathom is UNLV's 1990-91 roster was stronger and more ruthlesswith an average margin of victory of 26.7 points per game prior to a stunning loss to Dukein that . Some Duke players reportedly cried in the locker room after the 103-73 defeat and starting point guard Bobby Hurley later admitted that during the summer of 1990 he had recurring dreams of swimming with sharks. Despite its image as a team that relied mainly on Johnson in the paint, UNLV was significantly more perimeter-oriented than Division I as a whole in 1990-91. Record: 26-2 (18-0, 1st in Big West MBB ) Rank: 7th in the Final AP Poll. Coach: Jerry Tarkanian. Hill, Crawford Nine players from this past year's team have entered the transfer portal. "We were a little more focused and more mature," Thomas Hill says. THIS WAS THE the first Final Four called by Jim Nantz for CBS, and his future broadcast partner, Grant Hill, was a freshman for the Blue Devils. Everything came together perfectly. The Tarkanian connection began before the Sharks coaching career at UNLV when, at Long Beach State, Tarks growing program was continually investigated by the NCAA. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. Johnson then tied the game after hitting one of three free throws -- Thomas Hill was called for a lane violation. Chappell, DeShawn NCAA Tournament. 1990-1991 UNLV Runnin . But lets cut through all the PC rules and regulations when it comes to picking the best team of all time and just come out honest and swinging. Basketball; Basketball Recruiting; Football; Football Recruiting; Baseball; Women's BB; Tweets; Shop; Tickets; More; 1991-92 UNC Basketball Roster. You call a jump shooting team getting to the free throw line 23 times to a post oriented teams 15 times better? Hamilton. UNLV basketball made about $1.5 million during its championship season of 1989-90. . We became a great program at that moment.". Regardless though, the real possibility of the Rebels putting out on the floor one of the greatest teams of all time in the 1991 regular season, and then not having the chance to go to the tournament loomed.